As the water rises on Crooked Lake, so too does the anxiety for those living there.
Residents are saying the rural municipality of Grayson is urging them to evacuate.
Nicole Ulmer is taking that advice to heart as around seven sump pumps work to help keep the water out her home.
Ulmer and her family live at the lake all year round but on Friday they were packing up and leaving.
“I’m taking my kids out of here just because they don’t need to be around this anymore. They’ve been through enough already.”
Right now a wall of sandbags acts as a guard at the back of their home but the water is mere inches from over-topping that.
A teary eyed Ulmer says they aren’t sure how much more water they’ll get.
If people aren’t leaving their homes behind, they’re busily filling sandbags.
Ed Chorney is shoveling sand into as many bags as he can. His home needs the added protection from the water. Chorney says it’s two to three feet higher than what they prepared for.
He doesn’t know for sure how much, if any more water will come.
“Who knows, we can (get) an inch or two on top of what we have… If we get that it’ll just be a disaster for a lot of people,” said Chorney.
It’s already too late for Alvin Zorn’s home. Close to 9 inches of water fills the entire house, including the garage. He estimates it could cost several hundred thousand dollars to fix all the damage.
“It’s just devastating and I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
Zorn lives in one of the lower lying areas of the valley at Melville Beach year round. He’s called the beach home for 12 years and says he’s never seen the water this high.
Zorn is currently staying in his camper trying to wait it out but that could take several months.
On Twitter: @princealbertnow
